Your Questions

Your Questions
Meet our Panel

Ecstasy and Crystal

What is the difference between crystal and ecstasy?

-Jay T.

Response from: Nick

Both of these drugs are stimulants but before we can talk about the differences, we need to understand what we mean by “ecstasy”.

Real ecstasy is a chemical known as 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methamphetamine or, MDMA. “Ecstasy” is the street name for MDMA but, in reality, it refers any pill sold as MDMA. However, ecstasy pills vary extremely in content, and commonly contain adulterants such as caffeine, ephedrine, amphetamines, methamphetamine, ketamine and, in some cases, may not contain any MDMA. This accounts for the wide variety of experiences people report between different pills… sometimes people get “mashy” and feel all “loved up”; sometimes people feel really alert and get all energized. The length of high is sometimes just a couple of hours; sometimes it’s several hours - it all depends on the contents of the pill.

Real MDMA works by releasing and preventing the re-uptake of a neurotransmitter known as serotonin. This “brain chemical” is involved in your eat and sleep cycles as well as your mood. When MDMA causes serotonin release, people typically report feeling really good and being able to understand, empathize with, and connect well with others.

Because it is a stimulant, the physiological effects include raised body temperature, heart rate and blood pressure. The high from real MDMA will last 3-4 hours and the effects may linger for a few more hours after.

While ecstasy is classified as a “euphoric empathogen”, crystal is a “euphoric stimulant”. Crystal (methamphetamine) is a chemical known as d-N-methylamphetamine. It works by releasing massive amounts of the neurotransmitter dopamine, as well as effecting serotonin and another neurotransmitter, norepinephrine. Crystal’s primary effect is on dopamine which is found in parts of the brain that are involved with reward and judgment amongst others. When dopamine is released in these high levels it can cause users to feel euphoric (rather than just feeling good or empathetic as with ecstasy).

Again, the physiological effects that are felt with ecstasy may be similar, as both are stimulants, but would typically be more pronounced with crystal. Also, the length of high is much longer with crystal, averaging about 8 hours, for a single dose, depending on how it is taken.

There are different effects and risks associated with each drug - more than we can get into here. However, for the average person, the likelihood of developing problematic use, or addiction, is far greater with crystal than it is with ecstasy.

One last note… It has been estimated that half the ecstasy pills currently in Toronto contain methamphetamine. If you have ever taken, or even prefer taking pills that give you more energy, or ones that keep you high a lot longer, the chances are you are consuming something other than just MDMA, and may indeed be consuming methamphetamine.

There is a lot more to talk about… read through HiMyNameIsTina.com for all sorts of info related to crystal and check out torontovibe.com or erowid.org for more about ecstasy.